Hit The Brakes!

Driving was always something I looked forward to when growing up. I felt like driving was a sign that you were an adult. It signified your maturity and responsibility. Although, an adequate level of maturity or responsibility is not a specific requirement in the process of getting your driver’s license. It is very common that people who are not ready to drive get their license anyways. Driving is a privilege and should be treated as such. Just like everything else in life, rules are crucial to keep order, especially in something as dangerous as driving. Therefore, drivers’ education is so very important. It is crucial to know the rules of the road in order to be a responsible and effective driver. If no one went to drivers’ school or had to take the written drivers test, the road would be chaos. If people didn’t know things like how pedestrians get the right of way or how solid lines are not to be crossed, I am one hundred percent sure that the rate of deaths would shoot up and be more than they already are, which is already a larger number than it should be. How are people all supposed to drive efficiently if they are all following their own rules instead of everyone following universal rules?

For this reason, it is such a big deal and big consequence when you get a ticket. For one, they are often very expensive, and the driver’s school could take weeks. Although tickets are very troublesome, they are there for a reason! It is important to hold people accountable, it is not about getting from point A to point B. When you drive you oversee the lives of the people in the car and of the cars and lives all around you. There are many steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of deaths per year due to car accidents. The top three causes of car crashes are the driver getting distracted (whether that be by a phone, people in the car etc.), speeding and drunk driving (Steinger 2021). All things in which can be actively avoided. When you are driving it is important to follow the law. This is the way and steps in which these things can be actively avoided. Be sure that when you start to drive and get your license that you take it seriously, because it is something that is very serious and not something to be toyed with.

I have personally been in a car accident and people in my family who I am close to have gotten into very serious car accidents. The car accident I was involved in was not the worst, I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s car. We stopped at a red light and got rear ended. Although my dad’s car was not totaled, the whole back end of the car was smashed in. All of us left with no serious injuries except for some whiplash but my sister struggled with back pain for the next few years. My mom got into a car accident when she was in her twenties. Due to this car accident, she ended up in the hospital with a broken back, in which twenty years later she is still recovering from. Multiple doctors have told her that back pain is something she will struggle with for the rest of her life. My grandfather also got into a very serious car accident due to a drunk driver driving off the road and into my grandfather’s car who was waiting at a stop sign. This car accident almost took his life. My grandfather was in the hospital for a very long time and was older in age, because of this he took longer to heal. I have seen people in my family speed and even been in the car while speeding but I never understood the severity of how dangerous speeding can be until I began driving.

One thing I am very persistent about is people wearing seatbelts in the car. This is something I do not budge on and will not leave until everyone has their seatbelts on. Driving is something that I’ve taken more seriously over the years. It hit me when I began driving that other people’s lives are in your hands it’s not just about getting from place to place, it is much more serious than that. Although I feel like I am a stickler about safe driving, there are always things that everyone can improve on. One thing I feel I can do to be a better and safer driver is not to get as distracted as I do with the music playing. I have been planning on making a playlist that I can put on before I leave the first destination in which I won’t have to touch my phone or dashboard again. I encourage everyone to hit the brakes and think about what it means to be a responsible and considerate driver! Everyone can do their part in making the road a safer place.

Works Cited

Steinger, Michael. “The 12 Most Common Causes of Car Accidents.” Personal Injury Attorney Florida | Steinger, Greene & Feiner, 28 May 2021, https://www.injurylawyers.com/blog/common-causes-car-accidents/.